NYC Bank Tellers Charged with Identity Theft

Three New York bank tellers have been arrested and accused of participating in an identity theft ring, state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said Sept. 16.

Schneiderman charged the tellers and two others with stealing personal information from bank customers, and then using that data to withdraw more than $850,000 from customer accounts.

"Bank tellers have access to our most sensitive financial information, and we must be able to trust that our data will remain safe and secure, Schneiderman said in a press release.

The scheme included three tellers who worked at branches around New York City, including at JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, TD Bank, Bank of America and Wachovia, which is now part of Wells Fargo, according to the release.

For a period of more than four years, the tellers allegedly relayed customer informationincluding account and Social Security numbersto a ringleader in the Bronx. The data was then used to create fraudulent checks and drivers' licenses to withdraw money at branches in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

All five members of the group were indicted in the Westchester County Court on multiple federal charges, including grand larceny and identity theft. If convicted, the three bank tellers could face up to seven years in prison. The alleged ringleader and the defendant said to be in charge of creating the falsified documents could face 15-year sentences.

Schneiderman said in the release that he plans to bring additional charges against the defendants, as well as other members of the identity theft ring.